La Paz, BCS, Mexico - More than 19,000 Realtors from around the Globe attended the 2015 Realtors Conference & Expo. The week-long event was sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and this year, was held at the Convention Center in San Diego, California. It featured education, social activities, celebrity entertainment and a trade show.

The 2015 Realtors Conference had a large international component. More than 1,500 International Real Estate Members from sixty-six countries were in attendance. During the week, three new NAR bi-lateral agreements were signed. These were with the Argentine Federation of Real Estate (FIRA) The Spanish Real Estate Alliance (SIRA) and the Ghana Professional Real Estate Association (GREPA).

The International Real Estate Reception is always held early in the week. It provides an opportunity to vast with old friends and make new acquaintances.

I attended the Advisory Board Meeting of the Certified Institute of Property Specialists (CIPS) at that meeting. At that session it was announced that 802 new Realtors had been awarded the CIPS Designation in 2015. As of now there are 3,000 ACTIVE Designees around the world. (Pins and Certificates are handed out at the CIPS Breakfast, held twice a year.)

Of all of the classes and presentations, one of the most popular is that of Dr. Lawrence Yun. He is Chief economist for NAR. During his presentation, "Residential Economic Issues and Trends," he explained the current situation in the U.S. real estate market. Dr. Yun said, "Rising home prices is a threat to home buyers and the lack of inventory in certain segments is not helping a recovery of the market."

He went on to say, "Rising prices makes it difficult for first time buyers and move-up buyers to purchase the home of their dreams." Yun stated the first time buyer is about 30 years old. Multi-family construction is up but single-family starts are still depressed. There are massive housing shortages in cities such as San Francisco and Grand Rapids.

Yun received a round of applause from the Realtors audience when he reported that the FSBO market is in serious decline. He explained the Realtors face-to-face interaction with their clients is crucial to building relationships and to enforce our value with consumers.

The General Session features an address form a high profile celebrity, journalist or politician. This year, the Conference heard from National Football Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith. He is a successful commercial Realtor and holds the Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from NAR.

Emmitt delivered an inspirational address, drawing from his experiences as an athlete, entertainer and real estate developer. He is best known as a star of the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and member of three Super Bowl teams. Emmitt was also a participant in Dancing with the Stars.

"The Parade of the Flags" has become a tradition at this event. Realtors from 50 countries walk on stage waving their nation's flag. Seeing all of the flags standing against the wall is a good indication that real estate is indeed global.

There are two evening events of interest. The International Night Out and Awards Black Tie Ceremony has all of the glitz of an Oscar Night. Awards are given to associations and to individuals. Tony Hanna, President of the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals, was named International Realtor of the Year. He is the third person from Mexico to receive this prestigious award, since its inception in 2012. The other two recipients from Mexico are John Glaab and Linda Neil.

Another evening event is the Celebrity Concert and Realtors Have Talent. Actor, singer and song writer John Legend performed to a full house and received rave reviews, with several standing ovations. "Realtors Have Talent" is a talent competition. This year's winner was Jeff Foo from Singapore. Louise Giuliani from Niskayuna, New York placed 2nd.

Next year's conference will take place in November in Orlando, Florida.